Rowing-type exercising equipment



July 19, 1966 P. ELIA ETAL 3,261,606

ROWING-TYPE EXERCISING EQUIPMENT Filed July 31, 1964 Inventors Pe'rposiL/A k/z/ L/A Attorney United States Patent 3,261,606 RQWING-TYPEEXERCISING EQUIPMENT Petr-0s Elia and Kiki Elia, both of 7 Lowther Hill,London SE. 23, England Filed July 31, 1964, Ser. No. 386,706 Claimspriority, application Great Britain, Aug. 14, 1963, 32,169/ 63 Claims.(Cl. 272-72) This invention relates to equipment for physical training,and aims at the provision of simple and effective means for rowingexercises.

The invention consists in rowing-type exercising equipment comprising aframe incorporating parallel side limbs, a seat, two supports beneaththe seat, one adjacent to each side thereof, each support being formedof a pair of levers pivoted together scissors-fashion at an intermediatepoint of their length, the said seat being carried by the upper ends ofsaid pairs of levers, and the upper end of at least one lever of eachpair being movable in relation to the seat, roller means mounted on thelower ends of said levers, running on the parallel side-limbs of saidframe serving as rails, pulleys mounted in said frame, a flexible cablerunning round said pulleys and looped round the said rollers mounted atthe lower ends of said seat supports, one end of said cable beingsecured to a fixed point of said frame, and the other end of the cablebeing provided with gripping means to facilitate hauling on the cable byan operator sitting on said seat, in order to cause a scissors movementof said pairs of levers, and thereby lift said seat upwards from thesaid side-limbs of the frame.

The invention will he clearly understood from the following descriptionof one form (given, however, merely by way of example, which it mayassume, and this decription will be more readily followed by referenceto the accompanying drawing representing in side elevation one form ofrowing machine in accordance with the invention.

In one form of rowing machine in accordance with the invention as shownin the aforesaid drawing a tubular base frame comprises twocomparatively closely spaced parallel sides 57 with an upturned widenedrectangular loop- 59 at the forward end, the frame being supported onsplayed legs 58 at the front and rear ends respectively.

The side limbs 57 serve as rails for wheels 61 at the lower ends of twopairs of scissors-lever supports 62 carrying a padded framed seat 60.The upper ends of the supports 62 are movably connected to the sides ofthe frame by pinend-slot connections, as illustrated. A cable 32, withhandlebar 33, runs over pulleys 63, 64- on shafts mounted in the loop59, and encircles, at 66, pulleys on the shafts of the two pairs ofwheels 61 beneath the seat '60. The rear end of the cable 32 is loopedas at 65 over a cross-bar of the rear legs 58.

When an operator seats himself on the seat 60, and pulls on the bar 33and cable 32, in the manner of rowing practice, the cable 32 will firstdraw together the pairs of wheels 61 to rock the pairs of scissorslevers 62 and thus lift the seat 60 with the operator thereon.

The operator having thus raised the seat by the handlebar 33, may placehis feet against the side limbs of the loop 59, or against footrests(not shown) secured thereto, and is then in a position to perform theconventional rowing operation by pulling on the handlebar 33 whilesliding the seat 60 on the rails 57 in the usual manner.

From the above description it will be seen that the invention provides asimple and effective rowing machine for physical training, but it shouldbe understood that the invention is not limited solely to the details ofthe forms described above, which may be modified, in order to meetvarious conditions and requirements encountered, Without departing fromthe scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. Rowing-type exercising equipment comprising a frame incorporatingparallel side limits, a seat, two supports beneath the seat, oneadjacent to each side thereof, each support being formed of a pair oflevers pivoted together scissors-fashion at an intermediate point oftheir length, the said seat being carried by the upper ends of saidpairs of levers, and the upper end of at least one lever of each pairbeing movable in relation to the seat, means connecting the lower endsof the two forward levers, further means connecting the lower ends ofthe two rearward levers, said means and said further means each havingportions to run on said parallel side limbs, said means and said furthermeans each having intermediate portions for receiving a cable thereover,pulleys mounted in said frame, a flexible cable running around saidpulleys and looped around said intermediate portions of said means andof said further means, one end of said cable being secured to a fixedpoint of said frame, and the other end of the cable being provided withgripping means to facilitate hauling on the cable by an operator sittingon said seat, in order to cause a scissors movement of said pairs oflevers, and thereby lift said seat upwards from the said side-limbs ofthe frame.

2. Equipment according to claim 1 wherein said frame is formed at itsforward end with an upstanding p, and a cable pulley is mounted in saidloop.

3. Equipment according to claim '1 wherein said frame is supported abovethe ground by splayed feet at its ends.

4. Equipment according to claim 1 wherein the fixed point of the frameto which one end of said cable is secured is formed by a crossbar at therear end of the frame.

5. Equipment according to claim 1 wherein the frame is formed of metaltube.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 209,377 10/ 1878Britt 272-72 1,905,092 4/ 1933 Hardy 272-72 1,982,872 12/1934 Husted272-72 2,145,940 2/1939 Marlowe 272-72 2,183,345 12/1939 Brandon 272-722,714,507 8/1955 Goodrich 272-72 FOREIGN PATENTS 772,794 8/ 1934 France.

161,441 9/ 1904 Germany.

224,839 11/ 1924 Great Britain.

464,884 7/ 1951 Italy.

99,125 5/ 1953 Switzerland.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

A. W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiner.

1. ROWING-TYPE EXERCISING EQUIPMENT COMPRISING A FRAME INCORPORATINGPARALLEL SIDE LIMITS, A SEAT, TWO SUPPORTS BENEATH THE SEAT, ONEADJACENT TO EACH SIDE THEREOF, EACH SUPPORT BEING FORMED OF A PAIR OFLEVERS PIVOTED TOGETHER SCISSORS-FASHION AT AN INTERMEDIATE POINT OFTHEIR LENGTH, THE SAID SEAT BEING CARRIED BY THE UPPER ENDS OF SAIDPAIRS OF LEVERS, AND THE UPPER END OF AT LEAST ONE LEVER OF EACH PAIRBEING MOVABLE IN RELATION TO THE SEAT, MEANS CONNECTING THE LOWER ENDSOF THE TWO FORWARD LEVERS, FURTHER MEANS CONNECTING THE LOWER ENDS OFTHE TWO REARWARD LEVERS, SAID MEANS AND SAID FURTHER MEANS EACH HAVINGPORTIONS TO RUN ON SAID PARALLEL SIDE LIMBS, SAID MEANS AND SAID FURTHERMEANS EACH HAVING INTERMEDIATE PORTIONS FOR RECEIVING A CABLE THEREOVER,PULLEYS MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME, A FLEXIBLE CABLE RUNNING AROUND SAIDPULLEYS AND LOOPED AROUND SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTIONS OF SAID MEANS ANDOF SAID FURTHER MEANS, ONE END OF SAID CABLE BEING SECURED TO A FIXEDPOINT OF SAID FRAME, AND THE OTHER END OF THE CABLE BEING PROVIDED WITHGRIPPING MEANS TO FACILITATE HAULING ON THE CABLE BY AN OPERATOR SITTINGON SAID SEAT, IN ORDER TO CAUSE A SCISSORS MOVEMENT OF SAID PAIRS OFLEVERS, AND THEREBY LIFT SAID SEAT UPWARDS FROM THE SAID SIDE-LIMBS OFTHE FRAME.